The Emma Smith Adventures Series 1
by CeriseHood5050
Summary: After someone ruins Sarah Jane's name, Emma's toddler life is changed forever. Aged two, Emma has to embark on dangerous quests with new friends, while all the while trying to clear one of her mother's names.
1. Lavinia's funeral

The earliest memory I have is the funeral held for my Great-Aunt Lavinia in 2002- or, to be more specific, when my mothers, Sarah Jane Smith and Ruby White visited the tree planted for her that night. Mummy (Sarah Jane) knelt beside the tree, dressed from head to toe in black. Mum is standing a little way off to the side, while I hold her hand.

"Well, Lavinia," Mummy begins, crying slightly. "I hope you liked your day in the limelight. I think you would have hated it. All those people are going on about how wonderful, how successful, how much a pillar of society you were. The people from the market garden, they planted a tree in your name, just left of the village green, where we are now. They thought that was more worth-while than a church send-off. I think they were right. But, you know as well as I do, in a place like Morton Harwood, you don't get to slip away quietly. Brendan sends his love, couldn't be here, of course. He's over in Sans Francisco. I'm going to miss you, you know? All of those adventures together we never actually had. But you listened to me going on nineteen to the dozen so you must have felt you knew as much as I did about my work. I'm going to miss you so much. Oh, your solicitor tipped me the wink about your will, thank you, it's very nice. Quite what I'm going to do with the house, market garden and the royalties on your payments, I'm not quite sure. But I promise to be at least slightly frivolous, as you insisted so much last Christmas. Well, we'd best be getting back to the house now. The locals are gathering for the party, and apparently, Juno Baker says we're not to call it a 'wake' because you don't believe in such things. I'm glad she's around, I think she was very fond of you. Goodbye, Lavinia. I love you." As Mummy turns away, she is crying.

Mum pulls her into a hug as we slowly make our way back to the house when they bump into someone. "Miss Smith? Sarah?"  
"I'm sorry, I don't think-"  
"No, no, you wouldn't. I work in the village. I just wanted to pass on my condolences." I glance up at the man Mummy is talking to, but I can't distinguish his features as his hood is so low over his head. "I can't make the bash at the big house, but I wanted you to know that we all loved and respected your aunt very much."  
"Oh, how very kind, thank you, Mr…?"  
"Anyway, must dash, can't bear the rain. Oh, I gather that the last episode of your programme is airing tonight." Mummy agrees, saying that she won't be able to see it because of the party going on. As the man walks on, I get the sense that something terrible is going to happen.

"Right," Mummy decides. "Back to the house and the waiting throng."  
"I don't like that man," I state. "He has bad intentions."  
"Why are you assuming that, Emma?"  
"I can smell it on him; I'm not lying! He wants to do something evil that could ruin Earth!"  
"Emma, calm down," Mum whispers. "I told you that Emma wouldn't be able to cope with this."  
"Well, we couldn't leave her in the house on her own," Mummy sighs. She kneels, so her beautiful face is the same level as mine. "Are you tired?"  
"No, I'm telling you, that man-"  
"Emma-"  
"No, you need to listen to me! That man wants to hurt you! You need to listen to me!"

Of course, they didn't listen to me. By morning, someone ruined Mummy's name. She admits that maybe she should have listened to me from the start, but there isn't anything they can do now. "We might need to find someone who will happily take care of Emma for some time," Mum sighs one night. I am outside the door, overhearing. "Is there someone in the village Emma likes who will be willing to look after her for a few years?"  
"I'll make some calls around the village," Mummy offers. "There must be someone willing to look after her. Will you be all right with Emma for the morning?"  
"Sure," Mum agrees. As Mummy walks out into the hallways, she sees me standing by the door.

"Will I have to go, Mummy?" I ask in a tiny voice.  
"I hope not, Emma. But it is worth asking, just in case." I nod, smiling. "We'll try to keep you with us as much as possible. There might be someone in the village who wants to help."  
"I hope the Bakers want to help; I like them."  
"Well, I'll ask them first," Mummy promises, hugging me. "Hopefully, this will all be sorted out soon. If not, and you have to leave us, we'll want you to be on your best behaviour, okay?"  
"Okay," I smile. "You will write, won't you?"  
"Of course we will!" Mummy heads out of the door.


	2. The Beginning of the End

I feel nervous now I'm with the Bakers. I met them at the funeral, and they seemed lovely. However, I don't know what they are like. How would they react to me? What would happen if I have to live with them?

When we arrive at their house, they seem happy to take me in. "I've never been good with kids," Howard admits. "I never know what to do with them. We'd be happy to take Emma in if the need arises, but it would only be for a few days."  
"Thank you for your offer," Mummy smiles. "We'll ask other people, see if anyone else is willing to help."  
"What about the Doctor?" Juno asks. "The bloke you two travelled with?"  
"He's still travelling, as far as we know."  
"Do you know if he travelled with anyone else?"  
"He must have done," Mum agrees. "We don't know how to contact them."  
"Well, Emma can stay with us while you try to find them."  
"But where would we look?"  
"Try Cardiff first. There is a Captain Jack Harkness there who has met the Doctor."  
"How do you know that?" I ask.  
"We met him once. He was a proper gentleman."  
"Tea?" Howard offers. Mum and Mummy take a cup each, gratefully. "I can take you to Cardiff if you like. I'm sure my wife will be happy to look after Emma for some time."

There is a knock at the door. It is nearly seven in the evening. "Who could that be at this hour?" Howard asks, shuffling over to the front door. "Hello? Oh, come in, Captain. We were talking about you."  
"Nothing bad, I hope," the American smiles, walking in.

He strikes me as a World War Two soldier, wearing a long blue trench coat, a blue shirt and blue trousers with a belt and suspenders, making me wonder if he has a problem keeping his pants up or if he thinks it looks cool. His blue eyes sparkle with life. His brown hair looks untidy as if he has just rolled out of bed. "Captain, this is Sarah Jane Smith and Ruby White. They need your help."  
"I've been reading up on your work, Miss Smith, Miss White," the captain smiles. "Fantastic job with the Yeti."  
"Well, we don't talk about it much." Mummy points out.  
"I can understand why," Jack agrees, sitting down. "I heard about your aunt, and I offer you my condolences."  
"Thank you. We know that you trained our daughters, Sandra and Beth while they were at school."  
"Yes, I did. Now, you said that you needed my help." Howard walks in with another cup of tea, offering it to Jack.

"Who is this little cutie?"  
"This is-"  
"I can talk for myself, Mum, thank you very much!" Mum chuckles.  
"Sorry, Emma." Captain Jack kneels beside me.  
"What are you doing, Emma?"  
"I'm reading," I reply. "And before you ask, I know that this book is beyond my years."  
"I can tell," Jack laughs. "What part are you at?" I explain Jack about the book I am reading while Mum and Mummy talk to Howard and Juno.

"What was that?" Jack asks, looking up. I stop talking.  
"Someone ruined my name today," Mummy explains. "If it comes to it, we might have to go on the run."  
"Who will look after Emma?"  
"We were thinking about doing it, but I don't think that she would want to go on the run all the time," Mum says. "We are thinking of asking people in the village when Juno suggested that you look after her."  
"Me?!"  
"Come on, Jack, this wouldn't be the first time you looked after a child," Mummy prompts him.  
"I'm only just building my team up again after Alex killed the last lot." Jack stands up. "Besides, my way of life is too risky."  
"It's too risky for Emma to go on the run!" Juno exclaims. She sighs. "I'll ask around the village in the morning, see if anyone wants to help."  
"We may as well do it now," Howard interrupts, who has been talking on the phone. "The person calling is threatening the lives of her parents. If her parents are killed, Emma will have nowhere to go." Jack is about to talk when Howard puts the phone down, calling people throughout the village.

At around eight, he puts the receiver down for the last time. "No one wants to take Emma in." He sits down, sadly. "We might not be able to look after her for very long, so it might be that she has to go into care."  
"What? NO!" I exclaim.  
"You're not going into care," Jack agrees. "I'm taking Emma with me when I return to Cardiff in the morning."  
"It will be better if you leave tonight," Mummy stands up. "We'll need to leave preferably before morning." Mum nods, silently.  
"You're prepared to leave your daughter?"  
"It's for her protection," Mum sighs. "In times like these, we have to choose the lesser of the two evils. It would be better for Emma to have someone who will always be able to listen to her because we might not be able to do that. You are getting on well with her, so it could work."

That night, Mum and Mummy help Jack pack up my belongings, before sitting down with me to explain what is going on. I am clutching my stuffed animal, Owly. She has been in the family since the 1970s when Mum and Mummy were with the Doctor. When it is time to say goodbye, I hug Mum and Mummy goodbye. "Stay safe for me, yeah?" I ask. Mummy nods, crying.  
"Try and keep Emma safe, please, Jack," Mum whispers. Jack nods.  
"I'll do my best, Miss White."

As Jack straps me in, I wave goodbye to my parents. Jack starts the engine. "I think you'll like it at Torchwood. We've already got one other member, Suzie." Darkness encloses the car.


	3. Arriving At Torchwood

When I arrive at Torchwood, Suzie is working at her desk. The building is set underneath the bay, and the different levels are supported by concrete. In the middle is the water tower, rising majestically. "This was built in the 1800s to combat alien threat," Jack explains as we walk through the Hub. "Back then, Torchwood was about killing alien threats rather than examining it. We're working on helping the human race."  
"That sounds fantastic. How can I help?" Jack laughs as he helps me up the stairs. My little five-year-old body is still getting used to it.

"Why are you letting the kid in?" Suzie grumbles. Her long, black hair is tied back in a ponytail. I can smell something odd about her that I've not smelt on any other human- the smell of work. I can tell this because it smells like ink and fresh paper- Suzie is letting her work consume her.  
"She needs our protection."  
"She may as well be locked up. She'll hinder us in our research."  
"She has a name you know, 'Emma', two syllables, sure you can manage it," I retort. Jack laughs.  
"Great work, Emma," he laughs. "Has the Hub been expanding?" Suzie nods, explaining that it's hard to concentrate and that she thinks it's building a new hub for the kids.

Jack leads me to a door saying 'Child's Torchwood' in bold, black letters. "Welcome home, Emma." He opens the door. I step inside.

The layout of the room is different from the one in Torchwood. Instead of there being several floors, there is only one floor with stairs off to the left. Jack explains that the stairs lead to the rooms upstairs where members of Child's Torchwood can sleep. All of the surfaces can be moved up and down, allowing us to adjust them. "Of course, I'll need to train you before you recruit anyone," Jack points out. I ask how long that would roughly take. "A year, maybe two?" Jack suggests. Happily, I nod. "We'd better get started, Miss Smith-White. This way."

Jack leads me back through Torchwood to the weapons room. He hands me some glasses and a pair of ear defenders. He puts his own on before pointing at the guns. "First, you need to learn how to use these." Jack begins to prepare and load the guns while I watch, taking mental notes about each firearm so I can record it later. Slowly, Jack hands the first gun to me. "Turn sideways to the target, and slowly raise your arm, it's all in the breathing." Carefully, I follow his instructions. "Hold it firmly, don't grip it." Jack cocks the gun, and I realise that I'm for the first time at the age of two, holding an armed object. I could do damage here. "Breathe in, focus, breathe out, squeeze gently." Carefully, I squeeze the trigger, letting the gun go off. I hit the target the first time. Jack applauds me. "Not bad for a first attempt, not bad at all."

As I continue training with the firearms, Jack teaches me how to hold them and work with them. I begin to grow better and more confident with them. "Of course, if… when your parents turn up, they probably won't appreciate you using guns, so you'll have to learn how to make weapons out of anything at hand, including yourself. We'll work on that over time, of course. I hope you never have to use these though, Emma."  
"I think it's likely that I will," I sigh, smiling.  
"Did you enjoy that?"  
"Yeah. When can I go again?"  
"Any time you like, just let either me or Suzie know where you're going, okay?"  
"Sure."

"Now, I need to teach you about how to handle these guns safely, but I'll save that for tomorrow." I nod as we head up to the Hub. "However, you can teach yourself if you like," I nod, heading to the library in Child's Torchwood.

I gather the information I learnt from Jack today and compile it into a list of instructions for using each gun before searching for a book on how to handle firearms. There are four rules to using weapons; always treat them as if they are loaded, never point it at anything you don't want to destroy, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire and always be sure of the target and what (or who) is behind it.

As I type my notes up in the afternoon, Suzie checks in on me. I would have preferred Jack to check on me because I have the feeling that something terrible would happen to Suzie about Torchwood. It could be that it will warp her, but I'm not entirely sure. I'd rather not say anything until I know for sure.

"How did you get here?"  
"My parents are on the run, so Jack offered to take me in."  
"Come on; I bet that's not all of it."  
"That's all I know. My parents' lives are in danger, which is why I am here."  
"You would only be here if the lives your parents live is more dangerous than it is here." Suzie stands up to leave. "One more thing, Emma. Jack will lock you up at some point."  
"What makes you say that?"  
"He will do it, don't underestimate him."  
"Why would he lock me up?"  
"You're half alien. As soon as Jack sees you as a threat, you'll lose your freedom, maybe even your life."  
"If he thought that, why would he train me with guns?" Suzie storms out. I didn't help her.

I tell Jack about my concerns in the morning. "Emma, I think Suzie is a good person. I've known her for longer. I think I know what's best for her." I nod, leaving it at that. "This could all be a coincidence, or it could be that she doesn't like you. Whatever it is, keep an eye on her and report back to me if you see anything suspicious." I nod, standing to leave.  
"Thank you, Captain." Jack nods, smiling.  
"I'm glad you've come to me about this."

"So, your physical age at the moment is five years old, but your mental age definitely exceeds that. I'll run a few tests, make sure that we get your mental age right." I nod, letting Jack do what he needs to do, as do I. When the results come back, Jack calls me into his office, helping me into a chair when I struggle to climb on it. "So, Emma, your results have come back. Do you want to read them or do you want me to?"  
"You."  
"Okay, then. Your mental age is currently fourteen. That can change within the next few months and years, so I'll want you to do these tests regularly, and I'll monitor your growth and claimed age. From now on, you'll have to use the age you look. As you look five years old at the moment, I say that you should claim five, going on six."  
"Okay."


	4. Toshiko Arrives

**Emma is four years old, looking seven. Age claiming: seven Mental age: fifteen**

"Emma, I'm heading off to UNIT," Jack tells me as I file a report on a Weevil case. "Do you want to come with me?"  
"Yeah, I'm finished here. Besides, I need to talk to my godfather."  
"Ah, the Brigadier. How's he doing?"  
"He's retired, but he still helps out with UNIT. He's a close friend to the Doctor when the Time Lords exiled him on Earth."  
"I might have a chat to him as well, come on." As we leave the Hub, Jack asks me how I know him.  
"My parents are good friends with him," I smile. "They asked him to become my godfather when I was born."  
"Even though your parents aren't religious?"  
"Yes; it gets a little complicated at that point."

When we reach the vicinity, I feel lonely. "UNIT holds prisoners here, including the intelligent Toshiko Sato," Jack explains, walking inside. "I want to recruit her to Torchwood, but that will mean pulling a few strings, which is where you come in."  
"You want me to convince the Brigadier to let her go?"  
"Not quite that, let's say give her a second chance. Give me five years, and I can wipe her slate clean. The people here owe me a few favours." I nod, unsure about what he's talking about.

While Jack talks to Toshiko, I find the Brigadier. "Hello, Emma," the Brigadier smiles. "Long time, no see."  
"Well, you know how it is, Brigadier. Child's Torchwood is currently taking over my life."  
"I see. Well, don't just stand there, come in and have a seat." I step inside his office and sit down. "How are things going with Jack?" I tell him the training he gone through with me and that I now use guns effectively. "I always thought that kids shouldn't use guns, but Jack thinks otherwise. What other weapons has he taught you to use?"  
"None so far, but I'm starting to teach myself."  
"Good girl. I hope you're also getting a traditional education, not just guns and aliens."  
"Suzie, one of Jack's employees, is trying to teach me computer technology, only to find that I've taught myself." The Brigadier chuckles. "I have a strong ability with English, Maths and Science. Jack says I could take my GCSEs when I'm nine."  
"That soon?! Speaking of your excellent English, this arrived for you." He pulls a letter out, placing it on the desk between us. "I didn't want to open it before you, but I don't know what information is contained within it or who wrote it."  
"Thank you for keeping this for me," I smile, taking it. Slowly, I open the envelope and scan the contents. My smile falls.

"What is it, Emma?" I don't reply to the Brigadier.

 _Dear Emma,_

 _I'm sorry that it has been this long to write a letter to you, but we're not sure where Torchwood is, therefore have no idea if this letter will reach you. If it does, I hope that you are in good health and Jack is keeping you as safe as possible._

 _You were right about people coming after us, and we should have listened to you. We've got into a silly mess that we could have easily avoided if you were with us, but I guess you can't change the past._

 _Ruby has been shot and is in a critical condition in hospital. I'm glad that you weren't there to see it happen, and I didn't want to worry you. I will write back when I have more news of either Ruby's condition or when we can collect you from Torchwood._

 _I will send my messages through the Brigadier in the hope that he will pass them on to you._

 _All my love,  
Mummy_

"When did you get this?" I ask.  
"About February. They're here now, Ruby was fit to travel a few days ago. Do you want to see them?"  
"First, there is something Jack wanted me to talk about- one of the prisoners here, Toshiko Sato."  
"What about her?"  
"Jack wants to give her a second chance, bring her into Torchwood."  
"Prisoner Sato is intelligent," the Brigadier agrees. "It would be a shame to waste her talent here. I'll sign her release papers at once." He pulls out the papers, signs them and hands them over to Jack as he walks in with a Japanese-looking woman wearing an orange jumpsuit.  
"Good work, Emma," he smiles. The Brigadier looks out of the window as Jack talks to Toshiko.

"Emma," the Brigadier beckons me over and points out of the window. I look out to see my parents walking in the grounds, talking. The Brigadier knocks on the window, attracting their attention at once. He waves to them, pointing at me. They hurry inside. He stands up. "Jack, can I borrow Emma for a while?"  
"Of course," Jack agrees. "I need to sort out a few bits with some of the soldiers anyway." The Brigadier takes me out into the corridor, smiling.

"Brigadier, thanks again for letting us stay." Mum says.  
"Well, you picked a good time to come back," the Brigadier chuckles.  
"We would have tried to come earlier," Mummy replies. "It would have helped if you didn't get shot, Ruby."  
"I couldn't help it," she exclaims. "I was trying to save you!"  
"Have you handed our message over to Emma?"  
"Only today." The Brigadier looks at me. I run over to my parents, hugging them. Mum and Mummy start crying, hugging me back.  
"Emma, is it you?"  
"Yes, Mum, Mummy. It's me."

Once we calm down, I tell them about what it's like at Torchwood. "We're not settled down, so you could stay at Torchwood for a little longer," Mum considers. I nod, excited.  
"Emma, you ready?" Jack asks. "Miss Smith, Miss White, it's great to see you."  
"Likewise," Mummy agrees. Jack talks to them about my progress, and they too are shocked by the fact of how soon I can take my GCSEs.


	5. Doctor Owen Harper Arrives on Scene

I am walking in a graveyard in London, taking in the view when I spot a man at a newly-dug grave. Jack told me the day before that he is Doctor Owen Harper, who he wants to recruit into Torchwood. However, his fiancée died that day. The main reason we decided to stay in London for a few days is to visit Torchwood London, but Owen intrigued Jack, so he decided to check him out.

As I carry on walking, I see Jack standing under a tree. Owen spots him as well since he is starting to run in that direction. "Owen!" I call out. He turns to me.  
"How do you know my name?"  
"My boss told me who you are."  
"Who?"  
"The American." Slowly, I walk over to him. "Owen, we need to talk to you." Owen plods along beside me, with Jack following.

"You're not a figment of my imagination," Owen realises a few minutes later, "and I don't know what's happening anymore. Maybe this is what a mental breakdown feels like."  
"You're fine," Jack tells him.  
"Yeah," I agree. "Either the rest of the world don't want to open their eyes, or they are delusional."  
"Why her, Jack?"  
"There's no reason. Owen, your life doesn't end with her. What are you going to do now? Go back to work, see echoes of her in every corridor? You need a purpose."  
"Jack's right," I agree. "He's building something. We need a medic on the team."  
"You two want me?"  
"You made the doctors take more scans, tried to track my boss down," I grin. "We need someone like that on the team. We need someone like that to work with us in Cardiff."  
"To fight aliens?"  
"Exactly," Jack agrees.  
"Look, I… I don't know what happened to Katie, and I don't know who you two are. However, there is no such thing as aliens."  
"I'm living proof that aliens exist," I reply. Owen starts to take an interest in me, asking what species I am and all sorts of things as Jack drives us to Cardiff. I explain to Owen as best as I could about the other half of my species.

When we arrive back in Cardiff, Jack immediately shows Owen the Hub, asking him why he decided to become a doctor. At first, Owen thinks that he is having a mental breakdown but then tells us that he felt that if he could save one life, his life would be worthwhile. However, as there are so many people who need help, he is unable to feel that. "You could feel worthwhile here," I tell him.  
"Just keep an eye on the kid," Suzie replies. "She's mental."  
"Am not!" I exclaim.  
"Yes, Suzie, she isn't!" Tosh exclaims from her work table. "Stop winding Emma up."  
"Yeah, she seems to be a cool kid," Owen agrees.

"Standing up for Emma, that's a good sign," Jack grins. "Emma, do you have anything you can get on with?"  
"Yeah," I agree, heading over to Child's Torchwood.  
"Hey, where are you going?" Owen asks.  
"Child's Torchwood," I reply. "As I'm a kid, Jack considers some of their missions to be 'Not for Kids' whatever that means."  
"When you're older, we'll take you on those missions."  
"Oh, when?"  
"Two years?" Jack suggests. "Do you think you'll be ready for that then?"  
"Yeah!"  
"Great, now, back to your research, please." I nod, hurrying out of the room.


	6. Owen, where are you?

"This is Owen's voicemail. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." _Please say your message after the beep_  
 _BEEP_

"Owen, what the hell are you playing at? Tosh is already in London covering for you. If you think that this is something you can skive off, you've got another thing coming. Get here as soon as possible." Jack hangs up, annoyed.  
"No Owen?" Suzie asks.  
"No, he's meant to be in London this morning. As such, we had to send Tosh in."  
"Why couldn't you send the kid in, get her off our hands?"  
"I promised her parents to get her into as little trouble as possible. I did think about sending you, but you seem to be married to the job practically!"

I hold my phone to my ear. "This is Owen's voicemail. Leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible." _Please say your message after the beep  
BEEP_  
"Owen, we need you at Torchwood, pronto!" I hear someone answer the other side.  
"What?" Owen asks, weakly. "I can't come into work."  
"Oh, and why's that?"  
"I've got a hangover."  
"That, my dear friend, is called skiving off work, according to Jack."  
"I'll try and get in there for the afternoon. Tell Jack that, eh?"  
"I'll pass the message on," I smile, closing my phone. "Jack, Owen's going to try and get in this afternoon."  
"What's wrong with him?" Suzie asks. "Let me guess, as drunk as a ********."  
"He didn't use that language; he said he has a hangover."  
"And Suzie, don't swear in front of any kids," Jack tells her.  
"Yes, sir, whatever sir." Suzie disappears into her area.

"Do you think we'll ever get along?" I ask Jack when we are in his office. He agreed to let me look at the files Torchwood has containing documents about aliens so I can compile my research.  
"She might surprise you," Jack points out. "This one dates back to the beginning of Torchwood."  
"I'm missing the one from 1879."  
"The year this institute started," Jack smiles. He hands the file over to me as I consult my notes. "Suzie's an interesting character."  
"Well, I wouldn't know, she's always shutting me out."  
"You two might get along at some point."  
"I doubt it."

"You two talking about me?" Suzie asks as she walks in with cups of tea.  
"Of course not," Jack exclaims. "I was helping Emma with her research. You might need this one; it's on Nostrovites."  
"Thanks," I grin. "Anyway, I'd better get back to it. Can I keep hold of these for a while?"  
"Get them back to me as soon as possible," Jack tells me. I collect my papers, nodding.

That afternoon, I am working on my reports when Owen walks in with Tosh. "Emma?" Owen asks. I look up from my work, surprise.  
"Well, look at what the cat dragged in!" I laugh.  
"Yeah," Owen agrees. "Jack was thinking that we should have a basketball tournament, and we were wondering if you'd like to join in."  
"And I'd get picked on because I'm tiny?"  
"No, no, no! We thought you'd like the company." My computer beeps and crashes.  
"Well, that's my evening gone," I grimace. I try tapping a few buttons, but nothing happens.  
"Let me have a look at it, Emma," Tosh offers. "I should have it back to you by morning."  
"At least I saved my work." I look back at my files. "Yeah, I'll be there."

At seven, Jack, Owen, Tosh and I gather in the Hub. "No Suzie?" Jack asks.  
"She's gone home for the evening, it's just the four of us," Tosh explains.  
"Right, Owen and I will be team captains. Owen, do you want to pick first?"  
"Emma," Owen smiles.  
"All right then," Jack smiles. He holds the ball up, hitting it with his hands.

Owen grabs it first, bouncing it across the Hub floor, before passing it to me- or attempting to before Jack boycotted that idea, getting the ball himself.  
We end up running around the Hub for half an hour before the ball hits one of Tosh's computers, killing it. Immediately, we disperse. Owen leaves to go home. Tosh runs over to her computer to see what she can save. I head into the Child's Torchwood Hub to sort out what I can do tomorrow when my computer is restored.


	7. Ianto arrives in Cardiff

So far, no children have joined Torchwood, and it is summer 2005. I am spending my summer with the Brigadier at UNIT and with my parents. Jack has agreed to pick me up tomorrow.  
"Hopefully it won't be long until we can look after you again," Mum smiles as we take a walk in the grounds with Mummy and the Brigadier, who are hanging back a little so we can talk.  
"It will be nice," I agree. "Torchwood is great, but it could be nice to be at home without having an adult who I think is going insane."  
"You think Suzie's going insane?"  
"I report to Jack about the progress I am getting with her, which is currently zero. She seems to be obsessed with her work and not much else, spending a lot of time working on the resurrection gauntlet."  
"What's that?" The Brigadier asks, catching up with us. I explain that the resurrection gauntlet brings people back to life and that Suzie has got it to work for two minutes.  
"It works better with violent deaths. There have been a few killings in Cardiff recently, which we are tracking and using the glove. The police want us to help with the case, but that's not our territory. Besides, Jack wouldn't agree with it."  
"I thought he wouldn't," Mummy agrees.  
"The police, these days, they are all red tape. Not great when you're a kid working with an organisation that deals with adult things practically every day."  
"Maybe you should consider a career with UNIT," the Brigadier decides. "I could talk about it with Jack if you like."  
"Thank you for the offer, Brigadier, and I'll consider it." The Brigadier nods, smiling.  
"The offer will always be there for you if you ever change your mind."

When Jack collects me the next morning, the Brigadier takes him to one side as I say goodbye to Mum and Mummy. "You will consider the job with UNIT, won't you?" Mummy asks.  
"I'll consider it at least," I agree. "However, at the moment, I'm happy where I am."  
"Okay."  
"Emma, are you ready to go?" Jack asks.  
"Yeah," I call back, loading my belongings into the car, and it's not long before we are back in Cardiff.

That evening, Jack goes to catch a pterodactyl when a member of Torchwood One, Ianto Jones, steps in front of his car. On the way back, Jack explained about Ianto and asked me what to do about it.  
"You're the boss; you make all of the decisions."  
"I don't know what to do, though. I told Ianto that there would never be any jobs in Cardiff."  
"Maybe you should give him a chance, one adventure." Jack nods, thinking about it. "Are you going to talk about it with the others?"  
"No, not until I made my decision."

The next morning, Ianto is in the Hub, making coffee for Jack. "Morning," I call up. I must have shocked him, for Ianto nearly dropped the coffee he was making.  
"Morning, Emma, isn't it? Jack told me about you."  
"Nothing bad, I hope."  
"He spoke highly of you, saying that you might be the most intelligent child on the planet."  
"I think there are more intelligent children than me. Do you need a hand?"  
"I'm okay, thank you."

"Morning Emma," Tosh calls. "I've got your computer fixed."  
"Thanks, Tosh!" I call down as Owen and Suzie enter. That seems a little suspicious, but I decide not to question it. If they want to talk to me about it, I will let them come forward rather than confront them.

When I meet with Jack in his office, I hand over the files that I have finished with, telling him that I'll get the others back to him in due course. Jack thanks me and allows me to get on with my work. As I head back to the Child's Torchwood Hub, I think about Ianto. He seems pleasant enough, and we could potentially become friends.


	8. The Start of Child's Torchwood

In a few days, Jack is going to test my skills to see if I am ready to take command of a team within the next year. "What if I mess up?" I ask Ianto as he hands Owen, Tosh and I coffees. Even though I am five, I like coffee- I never figured out why that happened.  
"You won't mess up, Emma," Tosh tells me. "You'll do great."  
"What if I'm not ready to lead a team? I never had this sort of responsibility before. It's one thing to take care of myself, but a team? I don't know if I can do that."  
"It's natural to have those fears, Emma," Ianto tells me. "I remember when I was part of a gang, I had the same fears you have."  
"You had to lead them?" Owen asks.  
"A couple of times."

"You'll be fine, Emma, we've all got your back," Tosh smiles. "Jack says that you're allowed support in between your exams."  
"I don't get why I need to take exams to see if I can lead a team," I laugh.  
"It could be Jack's way of winding you up," Owen suggests, and the four of us laugh. "Haven't you also got coursework and practicals?"  
"Yes, Jack needs to see my dynamics and whether I can lead a team or not."  
"So, you'll be taking his place for a while?"  
"I don't know how it will work."

"You'll do great, Emma," Suzie calls over. For once, I am not getting the feeling that work at Torchwood is taking Suzie over. Maybe she's finding a way around it. I still don't quite like her, so I either avoid her or try to be civil with her if I have to make communication. She joins us in the autopsy room. "It will be interesting to see how you'll lead us."  
"I don't even know if I can lead children."  
"Sure you can," Tosh smiles. "We've all got your back, Emma. You'll do great."

"Emma?" Jack calls, walking over. "Hey, is there a team meeting I didn't know about?"  
"No," We all exclaim.  
"Then is there any reason we've all congregated in one place?"  
"We were just telling Emma that she can do this," Suzie tells him.  
"Sticking up for a fellow teammate, that's great," Jack smiles. "Emma, I need to prepare you for your first exam tomorrow."

"As you know, tomorrow is your first exam. You can't revise for it, so you will have to think fast. After that, you will have your first lot of coursework, which you have already started preparing for." I nod, thinking about all of the research that has already gone into it. "You'll do great on the practicals since you can think fast. I'll be on standby during that time, but you can come to me if you need any help."  
"Thanks, Jack, for all of this."  
"No problem. Do you want to go and practice your weapons skill?" I nod and head to the training room.

Once I am there, I notice that the guns and bullets are missing. However, there is a communication device lying on the table. I pick it up, slowly, attaching it to my ear like I've seen other members of Torchwood do. They use these to communicate with each other when they split up on a mission. "Hello?" I ask.  
"Emma," a voice replies. It certainly isn't someone from Torchwood unless they are using a voice scrambler to wind me up. "I see you made it."  
"What do you want?" At first, the voice doesn't answer, making me irritated. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?"  
"We have your parents. We have your memories. We have your twin brother."  
"What do you want?"  
"We need you to stay at Torchwood and pass with flying colours."  
"Why? What are you going to do with them if I don't?"  
"Your parents and brother will die, starting with Sarah Jane Smith."  
"What have you done to them?"  
"They're not hurt yet, but you'd better do as we tell you."  
"What do you want me to do?"  
"Focus on your exams and stuff first. Make sure you pass." I pull the earpiece out of my ear, crying.

Jack finds me there a few minutes later, and I blurt everything out. "Emma, everything will be fine, I promise." He takes me up to the others and tells them what happened.  
"We'll track the *******," Suzie exclaims. "Torchwood will make it our number one priority." I can feel the stress taking its' toll on Suzie, but I know that she's trying to help.

Tosh is following the link from the earpiece which she has plugged into the computer. "I'll let you know the results as soon as possible," Tosh tells us as she hands the earpiece back to me. "Let us know if they contact you again."  
"For now, Emma, you should do as they say. We don't know what or who we are up against," Jack tells me. "Be careful; they mustn't know that you told us about this."  
"Don't worry, Jack, I'll lie as best as I can."  
"You'll need to succeed. We'll try out your skills in lying since you'll need that within Child's Torchwood."

That night, as I lie in bed, I think about the next day. I need to be able to lie convincingly to Jack and the others so I can double-cross whoever has my family. That day, Suzie found some alien technology that helps people in difficult times. There is a knock at my door. I climb out of bed, slowly opening the door.  
"Hey, Emma," Suzie smiles. She hands a screen over to me. "Jack thought you should have this; it's the piece of technology we found today. I was able to compress it down into a tablet that you can carry around with you."  
"Thanks, Suzie." I take the tablet from her. "This will be very useful over the next few days."  
"Jack says you can keep it. It only responds to your voice."  
"How does he know that?"  
"He recorded one of the conversations he had with you and played it back, and the device started responding to what you were saying."  
"Does it have a name?"

"No, I don't," the device responds, cheekily. "I would also prefer it if you don't call me an 'it' even though I'm a robot."  
"All right then," I smile. "What do you want to be called? Thanks, Suzie." Suzie closes the door behind her before she walks down the corridor.

"You sound male," I consider.  
"Call me Mr Smith-White; I'll help you with anything you need."  
"Thanks, Mr Smith-White."  
"I've heard that someone captured your family. I can help you with your lying skills. Let's work on that now."  
"Can't I have a few minutes of sleep?"  
"No! These people probably won't rest. I'm sure you can take coffee if need be."  
"Easy for you to say," I grumble. "This is going to be a long night."


	9. Everything Changes

"Emma, can you stay here?" Jack asks. "We're going to a murder scene to use the glove."  
"But I want to come! You said that I can deal with adult stuff now."  
"Next time, I promise. Oh, the Queen contacted me. Congratulations, you're now the head of Child's Torchwood." Torchwood head out.

As I continue updating my resources, Jack tells me about Gwen Cooper. She knows about Torchwood. "How is it going with Suzie?"  
"About the same. Suzie's letting her work take over."  
"Shall I give her the rest of the evening off?"  
"Suzie might carry on working. You can try it if you want."

A few minutes later, Suzie walks in. "Have you been keeping tabs on me?"  
"I'm concerned about you. I'm allowed to help out a fellow teammate, aren't I?"  
"I guess so. We didn't hit it off right when we first met, mostly my fault. Why don't we start over?"  
"I'd like that."

"Can I talk to you freely?"  
"Of course,"  
"Thanks for looking out for me. When Torchwood started taking over my life, I thought that I'd have no one to talk to. The glove I found, there's another part, a three-bladed knife. I've tried it, that's where three of the deaths in the city came from. I wanted to resurrect people because others would pay money for that, wouldn't they? As I carried on killing, I realised that it was taking me over. Now, I want to get rid of them both. Can you help?"  
"This is serious, Suzie," I stand up. "We'll have to talk to Jack about it before we take action."  
"I thought Child's Torchwood wouldn't have to answer to Torchwood."  
"Jack's still my boss for the time being, I have to answer to him."  
"Makes sense. Gwen Cooper's in there. I'm afraid that she'll take over my job."  
"Have you introduced yourself?"  
"Not yet."  
"You should try to make an effort with her. You two might become good friends."  
"Thanks for the advice. Can you come through with me?"  
"Of course. I'll speak to Jack if he's free." Suzie nods, understanding that Jack can't let her off the hook that easily.

"Thanks for joining us, Emma, Suzie," Jack smiles. "Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper."  
"Doctor Owen Harper, thank you," Owen corrects him.  
"Toshiko Sato, computer genius. Suzie Costello, she's second in command. Emma Smith-White, our first kid in the group at the age of six."  
"I joined when I was two."  
"Yeah, she's great," Suzie agrees. "Practically good at everything, and leads a team."  
"I'm the only member of the team!"  
"And this is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time."  
"I try my best," Ianto adds.  
"And he looks good in a suit."  
"Careful, sir, that's harassment."

"But why are you telling me their names?" Gwen asks. "I'm not supposed to know, am I? This is classified, isn't it?"  
"Way beyond classified."  
"Then he shouldn't be telling me. Is she your kid?"  
"My employee."  
"What are you going to do to me?"  
"What do you imagine?"  
"Well, I've seen too much. Your names and everything, the Weevil, and, you can dump that porter out in the water and lie about his death." Jack tells Tosh to finish the calibration in the morning, Owen to get hold of Chandler and Bell, Ianto to be on standby if Owen needs backup. He tells Suzie to collect the costing on the glove research.  
"Jack, can I talk to you?" I ask.  
"When I get back." Jack tells Gwen to follow him, with her saying that she's bored of following him around.

When everyone is gone, including Suzie, I think about what I'm going to tell Jack. When he returns, I tell him about Suzie. He looks concerned, inviting me into his office. "She's dangerous. However, it's your call. You found out the information."  
"I don't know what to do. She's your employee."  
"I'll give her some retcon and employ Gwen. If you want Gwen to help you on your team from time to time, I don't mind."  
"Thanks, Jack." I smile. I know that I'm betraying Suzie, but it could be for the best.


	10. Day One

DAY ONE AS LEADER

I am still nervous about it, even though I'm the only person in the team. I'm hoping that this will become massive, improving the lives of many children. I'm still working on that, of course.

That evening, a meteor crashes. Jack tells me to let Torchwood deal with it; they'll call me for backup if necessary. "Is this what it's always going to be? Waiting on Torchwood the whole time?"  
"You won't have to do that in anywhere else. If you leave Cardiff, you don't have to obey Torchwood."  
"What am I going to do, set up a new base?"  
"Maybe. If you want to help children, we need to target cities with the biggest crimes, with London being the top of our list."  
"See you in the morning, Jack."

The next morning, Torchwood is called out to a murder scene, in which the victim was killed by sex. I thought I'd heard everything.

Jack starts looking at where the meteor came from when Gwen asks us if any of us have any partners or family. Tosh mentions her mum, Ianto mentions his sister. Owen and Jack say they don't have any. I tell her about my parents. They begin researching the girl. I find her address and leave.

When Carys opens the door, I see she is still in her dressing gown. "Sorry to disturb you," I tell her.  
"Not at all," Carys replies. "Can I help you?"  
"Can I talk to you, please?" Carys nods, and we head inside.

When I tell her about what happened, she nods. "You deal with aliens?"  
"Yes, we do."  
"Can you help me sort out what got inside of me?"  
"I'll try, I can promise that. What did it make you do?"  
"It made me kill that man." I put my arm around her as Carys starts crying. The doorbell rings again.  
"Do you want me to get it?"  
"I'll get it," Carys replies, drying her eyes. Suddenly, she grabs her stomach, screaming. "Help me, Emma! Help me!"  
"It's okay, lie down here, I'll get the door." Carys nods as I go to answer it.

"Parcel for Carys Fletcher?" The man asks.  
"I'll take it, thank you," I smile. The postman hands it over to me and heads on his way. When I close the door, I put the parcel down and go back to Carys as Torchwood breaks in.  
"Emma, what the hell?" Gwen asks. I explain to the others what Carys told me as she sits there in shock.  
"I promised that I would try to help her," I finish.  
"Well, first thing's first, we get her back to the Torchwood Hub. Emma, if you want Child's Torchwood to take on the case, then that's fine by me." I nod, turning to Carys.

I stand outside her room as she is getting dressed. "How long will I be gone for? My dad will get worried if I'm not here when he gets back."  
"Gwen's leaving a note for him to explain that you're out and that it was urgent."  
"Shall I pack some of my things just in case?" I turn to Jack, asking him how I should answer.  
"We'll provide everything for you," Jack tells her. Carys opens the door, fully dressed. Jack produces the handcuffs, but Carys argues that she'll come with us willingly.

While she is in the car, she sits beside me. "Thanks for listening to me, Emma," she whispers.  
"Any time," I smile back. "Now, when we get there, we might have to run a few tests and question the thing inside you."  
"So, I'll have to let it take control?" I nod, sadly.

When we get to Torchwood, I take her into one of the Child's Torchwood cells and ask Gwen to help with the questioning as she was there when the gas escaped. Gwen tells Carys the name of the man the gas made her kill, when Carys starts screaming, fighting for control. When it stops, Carys is walking differently. "You broke my ship."  
"Come on, then," Gwen replies. "Where are you from, and why are you trying to invade Earth? You can forget about enslaving us."  
"Who said anything about enslaving?"  
"Gwen, not all aliens want to enslave humanity. Why did you kill that man?"  
"I want the energy, the climax. I live off that energy."  
"You travelled here to feed off orgasmic energy?"  
"There's nothing else out there like it. You taste so good; you're the best hit there is." Carys starts screaming again. When she hits the wall, Gwen immediately unlocks the door and rushes into the cell.  
"I'm going to get help," I say, running into the main area, calling for Jack.

"Emma, what is it?" Jack asks.  
"It's Carys. The thing inside her is taking her over. Gwen is checking on her, but she might need some backup."  
"Thanks. Tosh, with me." The two run downstairs. I head into Child's Torchwood, so I'm out of the way when I get the shock of my life.

Mum and Mummy turn to me, smiling. I run into their open arms. A boy around my age is standing nearby. He takes my arm and leads me away to a corner. "Do you remember me?" He asks. I shake my head, shocked. "I thought you would, Emma."  
"I don't, sorry."  
"I'm your twin, Luke."  
"Right," I sigh. "Did you hear about our Great-Aunt Lavinia?"  
"When Mum and Mummy arrived," Luke agrees, sadly. He takes my hand. "I want to show you something. The Bane you communicated with, Mrs Wormwood, she changed me, I can look any age I want. As we're human-Qetesh Hybrid twins, she didn't realise that it also passed over to you."

Before my eyes, Luke changes from a six-year-old boy to a fourteen-year-old. "Now you try it," Luke suggests. I nod, closing my eyes. When I finally open them, I find that I am the same height as Luke. "See?" He asks, triumphantly. "Anything you have learnt or acquired, I also have." I return to my room to get some rest, only to find a woman in my room.  
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

The woman turns to me, smiling. She is wearing a lilac trench coat, a dark blue t-shirt with rainbow strips across the chest, and a white jumper underneath. She is also wearing high-waisted teal blue capri trousers, held up by mustard yellow braces. "I'm the Doctor," the Doctor smiles. "I parked my TARDIS in the corner; I hope you don't mind."  
"Of course not." I wonder why I feel so calm around this woman, considering I don't know her. Someone knocks on my door, and I tell them to come in. Mum is standing in the doorway.

"Hi, Emma, I wanted to make sure you were-" She stops when she sees the Doctor. "Doctor, it's great to see you again."  
"It's great to see you too, Ruby!" Mum pulls the Doctor into a hug. "How are you?"  
"Well, Sarah and I are no longer on the run, which is fantastic."  
"That's brilliant!"  
"We also found Luke before coming here to find Emma."  
"Oh, yes, how is he?"  
"As well as he can be after alien squids kidnapping him." The Doctor chuckles. "I see you've met Emma."  
"That's right. I thought that as we're together in the future, I should check up on Emma's past, you know."  
"Excuse me?" Mum asks, a little annoyed.  
"Did I say that out loud? I didn't mean to give anything away."  
"Too late," I say — the Doctor groans in annoyance.  
"I need to think before I open my mouth. What was I thinking? Great!"

"What do you mean about you being with my daughter?"  
"As far as I know, there's only one interpretation for that. It means that your daughter and I are dating."  
"Sarah's going to be thrilled. I'd better go and tell her." When Mum exits, the Doctor turns to me.

"You're not angry with me, are you? I think it went well. I don't know, do you think Ruby took it well? Probably not, she didn't look thrilled by the prospect."  
"Doctor-"  
"Sarah might be worse. They see me as a friend, not a possible daughter-in-law."  
"Doctor-"  
"I need to find a way to make this right, or as close as I can to making things normal."  
"DOCTOR! Don't worry about that right now. Do they accept you in the future?"  
"Yes."  
"Then don't worry about them accepting you now. If what you say is true, then you'll need to take me on a date at some point."  
"Let me guess, saving the earth is out of the picture? After all, you do that every day, and-"  
"We can save the earth if you want."  
"We should take things slowly for the time being."  
"But I'm a teenager!"

"You're six!"  
"By Qetesh hybrid standards, I'm a teenager."  
"Where did you read that?"  
"In the official book."  
"Yes, but you can't do what we do in the future unless either you turn ten or the gas that is using Carys as a host enters one of us, and I don't want that to happen."  
"I'm not surprised; she looked like she was in pain."

"Jack, Carys is out of her cell," Tosh says over the comms.  
"Sneaky b**** took my swipe card," Owen calls back.  
"You do know that I can hear, right?" I ask. Jack laughs.  
"Honestly, Emma, what would we do without you? Tell Owen that he needs to work on those abs a bit harder. I'll find Carys. Child's Torchwood, go into lockdown until I tell you it's safe." I press the lockdown button before telling my parents and Luke what happened.

Even the TARDIS is stuck, so the Doctor has to stay. "The lockdown has locked the TARDIS in the hub," she explains when she exits the police box. "At least the sex gas can't get in here."  
"Is that what it's called?" Luke asks. The Doctor nods. We all sit in the central area, trying to work out what to do. "Shall we play a game?"  
"Let me check on Jack first," I switch my comm back on. "Jack, can you hear me?" I hear interference. "Nope, he can't." I turn it off. "Okay, what shall we play?"

After a night of playing games and watching kid-friendly films, we are all asleep when Jack connects to my comm. "Emma, can you hear me?" I am the first one awake, so I grab it.  
"Yeah, I can hear you."  
"We sorted out the sex gas thing so that you can unlock Child's Torchwood." I press the lockdown button again, unlocking the base.

"I better get going," the Doctor says at ten in the morning. "It's been great seeing you."  
"I enjoyed seeing you too," I agree. "Take care."  
"Oh, I never do. I'm always prepared for anything, me. I suggest that you do the same."  
"Why? Is something coming?"  
"Something is always coming. The best we can do is prepare ourselves. Now, you'd better take care of your parents and brother. I'm relying on you."  
"I will." The Doctor steps inside the TARDIS, smiling.  
"You're going to love this bit." She closes the door, and the TARDIS fades out of sight. I stand in my room, smiling.

"Is the Doctor gone?" Jack asks. "I was hoping to say hi to him."  
"Her," I interrupt. "She must have changed. Do you know what she calls it?"  
"Regeneration," Mummy says. "When the Doctor's body dies, it heals, but changes in the process. We don't know what version of the Doctor that was, so all we can do is that we hope to see her again."


	11. Small WorldsCountrycide

After two weeks, Luke can come out on field trips. "I'm outnumbered!" Luke exclaims. "We need more boys on the team."  
"Totally," Jack agrees.  
"Well, I'll look into it, see if anyone wants to join," I offer.  
"And how will you do that?"  
"Still thinking about it."

My parents were not entirely convinced about Luke training with weapons. Mum and Mummy were concerned about it as they thought that Luke could use these weapons for evil after the Bane captured him. It took a lot of reassurance for them to agree for Luke to use a gun.

Ianto is picking up strange weather patterns. As Torchwood doesn't know what they are up against, Jack decides not to include us. "It will be different once you have another base, of course," Jack explains. "For now, Emma, as you don't have another base, I'd like you and your team to answer to me."  
"Yes, Jack," I agree.

"Should we start looking for a new Hub?" Luke asks. "I mean, if Jack's not going to include us, then we should consider it. I mean, it's been two weeks. Two weeks with not much going on. When are we going to have our next adventure?"  
"Soon?" I suggest.  
"You wouldn't know that. Besides, Torchwood always checks it out before us."

My phone starts ringing. I answer it. "Emma, we've got a case for Child's Torchwood, but we don't know how dangerous it will be."

A day later, we are all ready for camping in the Welsh countryside. "There have been seventeen disappearances in the last five months," I remind Luke and our mothers when we stop for burgers. "The police are clueless."  
"Now there's a surprise," Mum laughs. I point on the map to the whereabouts of the people when they disappeared, passing through a village before going off the radar.

As we set up camp, I feel like someone is watching us. "Someone's watching," I warn, cocking my gun. Luke gets his weapon ready, but no one appears. Once we finish setting up the tents, Luke and Mum go to collect firewood. It's not long before Luke comes running back, screaming about a carcass in the woods. We hear the car start while we are in the woods. Running after it, we spot it ploughing into our tents before driving off.  
"That body was a decoy," I realise. "We go after the car, get it back and get the hell out of dodge. Where's the car?"  
"3.4 miles west, parked for four minutes," Luke reports.  
"There's a village in that direction, but nothing for thirty miles," Mummy warns us, glancing at the map. "It sounds like a trap."  
"Let's get the hell out of here, come on."

As soon as we get to the village, we stick together. "There's the car," Mummy points. "Let's go!" We jump into the car, and Mum finds the keys before starting the engine.  
"Look!" I cry, pointing out of the car.  
"Oh. My. God." Luke whispers. There is a dead body in the window, a carcass, just like the last one. There is no way we can recognise who it is- they are stripped of skin, organs, everything.  
"We need to take a look; there could be survivors, come on." Luke climbs out of the car, and I follow.  
"I'll stay here and look after the car," Mum calls out, locking herself inside.

As we run to the village, we start calling out, asking if anyone was there. "We're here to help," I exclaim. Three teenagers run out, two girls and a boy.  
"Thank goodness you came!" the boy exclaims.  
"They've got my mum!" One of the girls exclaim. "You have to help us."  
"We're here to get any survivors to safety. We need to know what we're dealing with."  
"They're cannibals," the other girl whispers. "They killed my dad, I think, but we got away."  
"What about the other adults, what happened to them?"  
"Mrs Jackson is captured, Mrs Chandra is in there," the boy points into one of the houses. "Along with Mr Jackson. My mum's missing."  
"Luke will take you, Mrs Chandra and Mr Jackson to the car. We'll look for your mum…?"  
"Clyde Langer."  
"We'll look for her, Clyde."  
"But what if she's already dead? My dad ran off with my Aunt; she's all I've got left."  
"We'll try and find her," I promise. "Now, we need you to go with Luke and collect the adults remaining." The three teenagers lead Luke as I start looking for Mrs Jackson and Mrs Langer.

"Any sign of them yet?" Luke asks over the earpieces.  
"Nothing yet," I report. "We're still looking."  
"Don't take too long. We need to get moving soon. This place is creeping the teenagers out." I hear a woman cry out in alarm, and someone runs into me.  
"Are you all right?" Mummy asks her, helping her up.  
"You need to get out of here," she whispers. "They're monsters."  
"What's your name?"  
"Carla. Carla Langer."  
"Luke, we've got Clyde's Mum. No sign of Mrs Jackson yet."  
"Emma, you'd better come back," terror builds in Luke's voice.  
"Luke, what's going on?" I ask as we start running back. We find the car, with everyone there. Another person is there- a man. I guess that they don't know each other as the others are shaking in here. I cock my gun at once.  
"Stay where you are!" I snarl. The man stares at me, shocked. "I've got a loaded weapon in my hands, I'm not afraid to use it!" The man advances. I fire.

"Oh, my God," I whisper, collapsing to the ground. I wish I didn't have to do that. A man is dead because of me.  
"Emma, we need to go," Mum insists, helping me in the car.

"I've made the car bigger on the inside using alien technology. It can also never break down."  
"No sign of Mrs Jackson, I'm sorry," I whisper.  
"You've already done enough by saving us," her daughter exclaims. "My name's Maria."  
"I'm Rani, this is my mum Gita," the other teenage girl tells us.  
"I'm Emma Smith-White, leader of Child's Torchwood. This is Luke and my parents, Sarah Jane and Ruby. Go, go, go!" I yell at Mum, who immediately drives off.

As we are driving to Cardiff, I alert the police to what happened at the village and ask them to search for a Chrissie Jackson, Haresh Chandra and any other people who could have survived. When they get back to me, they say that the found both Chrissie and Haresh, alive but in serious mental conditions.

I bring the group into Child's Torchwood, explaining that we fight aliens. "After everything we've seen, it seems highly likely that aliens would exist," Rani agrees.  
"Are you always based in Cardiff?" Clyde asks.  
"We're hoping to expand Child's Torchwood. This is Child's Torchwood One. We don't know where else we can set up a new base. We have to ask the Queen for permission."

Torchwood walks through, and I introduce them. I explain to Jack what happened. Jack looks concerned. "Is everyone all right?"  
"The team is, but I think the newcomers might be experiencing shock."  
"That's understandable," Jack agrees. "Are you thinking of employing the kids?"  
"It should be their decision."

Jack's phone rings. "Excuse, me, Emma." He answers it before passing it to me. "It's the Queen."  
"What?" I take the phone. "Hello, Your Majesty."  
"Hello, Emma. I need to talk to you about the three children you met on your most recent adventure, Maria Jackson, Clyde Langer and Rani Chandra. You should employ them. They would be a great asset to Child's Torchwood." I nod, thanking the Queen before passing the phone back to Jack.

I talk to Maria, Clyde and Rani about what the Queen said. "I guess we don't have much choice," Maria sighs.  
"But still, if we get to do stuff like this, we protect others," Rani argues. "We'll be helping Earth."  
"Rani's right," Clyde agrees. "Let's take this opportunity with both hands."


	12. Concerns for the Future

"More water?" Jack offers. I look up from my work. We are both in his office, working on our own projects. Jack is focusing on Torchwood stuff. I am working on updating our alien files.  
"Yes, please." I agree. As Jack pours me another glass, someone knocks on his door.  
"Come in!" Maria, Clyde, Rani and Luke walk in.  
"Jack, I think we found a new base for Child's Torchwood," Maria smiles.  
"Where is it?" Maria types it up on the computer and shows it to us.  
"It's this disused warehouse by the Thames in Cheswick, London," Clyde explains. "The photographs show that the warehouse is perfect for our needs. There are a lot of buildings within the compound, meaning that many members of Child's Torchwood can be housed there, maybe even their families in times of crisis."  
"There are also schools close by," Rani adds. "Castle Day Nursery, St Benedict's primary, Park Vale Comprehensive. We could also set up schools within the vicinity so that members of Child's Torchwood can go to school together as there is the space for it."  
"It has a backup generator, its own internet, phone signals, everything," Maria agrees. "No one will be able to track us there." I smile.  
"It looks perfect," I look up at them. "Great find."

"Jack, that's not the only thing we wanted to talk to you and Emma about," Luke admits.  
"Well, Luke, what is it?"  
"If you don't mind, I'd rather talk about this with Jack and Emma alone."  
"Sure," Rani agrees. "We'll be in the Child's Torchwood hub if you need us." Rani leaves the room along with Maria and Clyde.

"Well, what is it?" Jack asks.  
"It's our Mum, Ruby," Luke admits. "What do you know about the Egyptian goddess, Qetesh?"  
"All I know is that she is the goddess of fertility. Why?"  
"Qetesh was one of the original of a species going by the same name. She was exiled on Earth with several others."  
"If they wanted to take over Earth, they could have done so by now as there could be millions of Qetesh on the planet."  
"They're known as soul stealers. If Mum's one of them-"

"You could be jumping to your own conclusions," I interrupt.  
"No, as I started to contact other Qetesh. Mum used to kill, not just for survival, but for pleasure."  
"Do you know when this started and stopped?" Jack asks.  
"It started in 1542 and ended on the 12th May 1951."  
"What's so important about that date?" I ask. "What happened on that day that made Mum stop killing?"  
"That's fifty-five years ago. The records from that time are a bit sketchy, but I'll look into it," Jack promises. "Maybe whatever stopped Ruby Ann White from killing is nearing the end of its time, she might start doing it again."  
"What should we do if she does?"  
"We need to find out why she would do it, when, how. Even if we find out one thing, we could be getting closer to preventing it from happening."


	13. Victims

_There is always someone who wants to die. Sometimes, they want to do it in secret, accidentally-on-purpose overdose themselves by a few pills, a few drops. Maybe a cut, painful, something that can't be reversed. Other times, they want something bold- jumping from a building, perhaps._

 _No matter what situation those people are in, I am there to help, whether they want it or not, ever since 1542._

"Mum, what's this?" I ask, holding up a pile of worn parchment. Mum storms over, snatching it out of my hands.  
"You haven't read it, have you?"  
"Of course not. It's just, Luke said-"  
"Luke said what? Come on, Emma. Spit it out."  
"I think he looked through that."  
"Well, this is private. I'll have to tell Luke not to look through my things."  
"He said something that made Jack and I worried." Mum grabs my wrist, and I stop in agony. Immediately, she releases me.  
"I need to talk to you in private."  
"My room," I agree.

When we get there, Mum shuts the door. "I didn't want Luke to find out about this because I thought he would take this the wrong way."  
"Why did you start killing?"  
"My girlfriend was killed in 1542. Ever since then, I wanted to help others. If they wanted to end their lives, I would try to talk them out of it, make them live longer. However, if I couldn't do this, I would work and help them die painlessly and privately. Usually, they would ask me to kill them. I wouldn't kill them if they didn't permit me."  
"How many people died because of you?"  
"At least a thousand. I'm not proud of what I did."  
"Why did it end on the 12th May 1951? What happened then?"  
"Sarah Jane Smith."

"Did I hear someone say my name?" Mummy asks.  
"How long have you been standing there?"  
"Long enough," Mummy walks in. "Ruby, why didn't you tell me?"  
"I didn't want to worry you." As Mummy sits down on the bed, Mum pulls her into a hug.  
"Luke's worried that you'll start killing again," I whisper. Mum looks at me, concerned.

"While Luke was with the Bane, their leader, Mrs Wormwood, fed him dangerous lies about what's going on and what's going to happen," Mummy explains. "She didn't say anything bad about me, but it was all aimed at Ruby."  
"Why would she do something like this?"  
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Mum insists. "If Mrs Wormwood never kidnapped Luke, we wouldn't be in this mess."

When Mummy leaves again to check in on the adults who recently arrived, I ask Mum a question I desperately want to be answered. "Are you going to kill again?"  
"Only to protect my family. Now, you've got a team to run. You are kind, caring, and a great leader. Those are the qualities Jack was looking for. Rani, Clyde and Maria are new; they need someone to show them how things are run here. You are a great leader, and I couldn't be prouder of you." She pulls me into a hug, and I hug her back.

Someone knocks on the door. "Come in!" I call. Luke is standing there, looking a bit nervous. I sigh, a little annoyed. "What is it?"  
"Clyde, Rani and Maria have found something on the monitors. They don't know what it is, so they want you to check it out." I jump up, smiling.

"I think Mum's coming onto you," I whisper.  
"I know," Luke agrees. "I asked Mummy, and she knew about what Mum is. She doesn't seem scared."  
"Mum promised that she'd only kill to protect her family- us."  
"Maybe I was jumping to my own conclusions," Luke agrees. "Let's not worry about it." We walk into the central hub where Maria, Clyde and Rani are standing around a monitor.  
"What have you got?" I ask.

"A meteor crash-landing," Clyde replies. "Jack wants us to get onto the case. He's coming with us to make sure that we can get in as the amateurs are already there."  
"Let's go!" I grab my coat, smiling. I tell Jack where we're going, who accompanies us.

We get to work on the meteor to discover where it came from when Rani accidentally chucks a tool, which lodges itself in the meteorite. Gas begins to swirl around it. "Gas masks!" Jack yells, throwing us all one. A pink and purple gas rises out of the meteor before shooting off into the sky.

"That was a sex gas," Jack explains as we drive back.  
"Another one?" I moan.  
"What does a sex gas do?" Maria asks. Jack explains that it causes men to orgasm before killing them, using the energy to keep it alive.  
"We need to find whoever it has taken for a host."  
"The last one worked at a fertility bank. It could be linked."

"SEX GAS!" Clyde yells, pointing.  
"I see it!" Jack exclaims, pushing his foot hard on the gas pedal.  
"Who would have thought we would be chasing after a gas," Rani laughs.  
"A gas with a sex drive that kills others," Jack agrees as he swerves around a corner.  
"Watch your driving, boss!" I exclaim.  
"Cheeky girl!"  
"Sorry!" We run out of the car when the gas stops in front of a woman- the Doctor.

"Doctor, look out!" I exclaim. Too late. The sex gas encloses around the Doctor before she is forced to breathe it in.  
"Luke, Clyde, come back with me to the car," Jack exclaims. "Ladies, I'm sorry, but I have to leave this with you."  
"What? Jack!" Rani exclaims.  
"Don't you remember what he told you?" I demand. "The sex gas can kill him, Luke and Clyde. We're on our own."

"Hey, Emma," the Doctor smiles.  
"Hey," I smile back. "We need to take you in for questioning."  
"Right," the Doctor agrees. I force her into the front seat because I can't trust her near the boys with that gas in her.

When I lock her in one of the cells, I begin to question her. "Emma, the gas, I don't know how I can stop it. It needs sex, but if I give it what it wants, it will make me kill. I don't know what to do."  
"Do it with me."  
"What?"  
"Doctor, are we going to have this argument or not? Human-Qetesh hybrids can survive."  
"You don't know me yet."  
"I trust you. I don't know why I just do."  
"Okay," the Doctor agrees as I unlock her cell and stand in front of her. "I don't think the wall will be too comfortable."  
"No," I agree.

The Doctor sits beside me on the single bed in the cell. "Would having some music on help you calm down a little?" She asks, pulling an mp3 out of her pocket when she notices how pale I am. My breathing becomes inconsistent. It takes nearly all of my energy to nod. The Doctor plays some soft, calming music. "If there's something that you don't like, tell me, and I'll stop, okay?"  
"Okay," I smile. I feel a little more secure. The Doctor gently begins kissing me, taking her time. I start kissing her back, feeling comfortable.

When the Doctor removes my top and begins to stroke my body, I feel at ease. Her touch is gentle; she's making sure I'm happy with it. Slowly, the Doctor begins removing her clothes, and I spot an earring she's wearing- an ear cuff with the top symbolising eight stars and the bottom in the shape of two hands holding each other- her love for the stars and how she prefers friendship and defeating enemies weaponless. The Doctor catches me admiring them and asks me if I like it, to which I agree. She looks a little shifty. "What's wrong?" I ask.  
"I know I'm not meant to say this, but I'm used to having sex with you when you're older."  
"How old?"  
"You know I can't reveal that! It makes me a bit nervous that I have to do it with you at this age."  
"Don't be," I smile. "I'm still the same person- or I should be." The Doctor laughs. "Besides, it's to save you. I'm sure that my older version will understand."

"We're going to have to go all the way this time," she tells me, gently.  
"Okay," I agree, lightly.  
"You're already going through puberty."  
"I started two years ago."  
"You might have your period soon. I wouldn't know about it; you'll have to talk to one of your mum's about it. You okay?"  
"Keep going," I beg her, closing my eyes, letting the music surround me.

"You okay?" she asks.  
"That was the best," I smile, closing my eyes.  
"Well, you'll want to get some sleep," she tells me. "You must feel tired after all that excitement." I want to point out that I think I can keep going, but I yawn. "You need your sleep. Come on, bed!" We retrieve our clothes. I pull mine on before I leave the cell and shut the door. A piece of plastic is now separating us.

Jack calls me into his office a few minutes later. "What were you thinking, Emma? You know, when she…?" His voice trails off. I don't think he wants to use the word 'sex' around me, even though the Doctor did- twice.  
"I wanted to help her, and I wanted to do it. She made sure I was happy and comfortable."  
"Well, that's saying something," Jack agrees. "Water?"  
"Yes, please."

Before I return to my room, I go to check on the Doctor. Luke is standing by her cell. The Doctor is still in there, tense. She relaxes when I walk through. "See? I told you your sister's fine."  
"Yeah, you don't need to tell me," Luke agrees. "You okay?"  
"Fine," I smile. "How are things going here?"  
"We're going to try and expel the sex gas from her," Luke explains.  
"Let's do this," I agree, unlocking the Doctor's cell. "Leave her," I command the sex gas. It leaves the Doctor at once, and Luke encases it in an inflatable cell as Rani, Clyde and Maria run in. The sex gas dies as we watch.

"At least no one was killed this time," I smile. "That's one pro from this."  
"Yeah," Clyde agrees. "Thank goodness for that."  
"Everyone okay?" The Doctor asks.  
"Yeah," we all chorus.  
"Good. Now, I need to be getting back to my TARDIS." I feel my smile fall.  
"You're not staying?"  
"I'm sorry, Emma, but I've got other stuff to do. However, I will see you all as soon as possible, okay?" We nod, and I drive the Doctor to her destination. "Bye, Emma," she smiles.  
"Bye Doctor, until the next time." The Doctor nods before stepping inside her TARDIS, disappearing.


	14. Out of Time

The next day, I wake up at three in the morning to find Mum in my room, watching me. "Bit early for you to start, don't you think?" I ask her.  
"Well, I was worried about you, but… yeah, I feel I might not be able to get back to sleep. I may as well do something productive."  
"What, by creeping your daughter out by watching on her for the rest of the night?"  
"Something like that," she laughs. I head into the central hub, followed by Mum. Clyde, Rani, Maria and Luke are already in there.

"You four okay?" I ask.  
"Yeah, are you?" Maria asks.  
"Yeah. What are you doing awake at three in the morning."  
"I wet the bed," Luke admits. "The others were helping me with the washing machine- technology is something I still have to get used to."  
"That's okay."

As I turn my screen on, the rift begins playing up. "What have you got?" Mum asks, sitting up.  
"An aeroplane that has hit bad turbulence and needs to land. We'd better go and meet the passengers since they are from the 1950s."

We are at the airstrip at half three when the plane lands. "Hello, there," the piolet calls, smiling as we walk forward. She climbs out, followed by two passengers. "Apologies for the unplanned touchdown just hit some rotten turbulence."  
"Emma Smith-White," I smile, shaking her hand.  
"Diane Holmes, piolet. Is this some secret base? You must show me around some day, Emma."  
"Everything all right?" The man asks.  
"How long before we head off again?" The woman asks. "My uncle's expecting me."  
"When did you leave?" I ask.  
"About half an hour ago," the piolet answers.  
"Which date?"  
"Today, December the 18th."  
"Which year? Diane, I need to know."  
"1953."

When we head back to the Child's Torchwood Hub, I wake up Mummy, letting her know that we have company. We gather in the main room and introduce ourselves, explain to them that they travelled through time. John Ellis, Emma Louise Cowell and Diane Holmes introduce themselves. We show them evidence to show that they moved fifty years into the future. "But if all this is true, how do we get back?" Diane asks.  
"You don't," I say, sadly. "According to history, your plane never returned. I'm sorry." We try to locate any family that they might have without any success. I promise to try again and for them to get some sleep.

Gita takes them to a hostel for the night while we sort out means of identification for them. "I think we should let them keep their names," I tell Jack.  
"That could confuse the authorities," Jack points out. I shrug, telling him that it would be some comfort to them to keep their names the same.

In the morning, we explain that we set up bank accounts for them, but we will give them a daily allowance so they can learn about money management and get used to the currency. When we take them to the supermarket, we advise them on how much they should spend on food and luxuries. Emma seems to be enjoying herself, as is Diane until she buys a pack of cigarettes. After going shopping, Alan drops John at the Millenium Stadium, taking the girls back to the hostel.

That evening, Emma and John argue before Emma returns to Child's Torchwood. Gita explains that there is no-one else we can turn to, so I let her have a room in the hotel area. After I go to bed, I spot Mum watching over me, worried. Slowly, Mummy walks over to her. "You okay?"  
"I don't know what to do, Sarah," Mum whispers. I realise that she's crying. "What if she was killed yesterday?"  
"She wasn't, that's all that matters." Suddenly, I feel my stomach ache. I grab it, crying out in agony.  
"Right, we need to get you out, Emma. I'm taking you to the woods." I nod, momentarily wondering why.

"Sarah will need to learn how to hunt in a few years, but I don't know if I can teach her."  
"I'm sure you'll be a great teacher, Mum."

When we get there, Mum explains that it could be that my Qetesh hunger is starting to come through. "You'll need to work on the art of surprise, concealment. To hide within a society, you need the element of surprise. But we'll master the basics first, okay?" I nod. "Close your eyes, smell the air around you. You need to decide what to hunt, so you need to identify the smells around you, as well as working out who is friend and foe." I nod, closing my eyes. "Find some easy prey. Take a deep breath in." I nod, complying with the instructions she gives me. I can smell all sorts of beings; rabbits, foxes, birds. Then, I smell something off.

A man is raping someone. My eyes fly open, and I take off, racing through the woods. I am faster than Mum, and it's only a few minutes until I lose her altogether.

"HELP!" A woman screams as a man, her boyfriend- ex-boyfriend- bears down on her.  
"We've had this date from the start," he growls, pushing her against a tree.  
"Help!"  
"No one's coming, Lizzie." I watch through the branches, waiting.  
"Please, help!" I jump down as Lizzie continues screaming, grabbing the man.  
"What the hell?" I look up at Lizzie.  
"Run, get out of here!" Lizzie takes off at a run. I turn back to the man, who is laughing, trying to throw me off.

Mum jumps down from the trees. "Well done on keeping control," she smiles.  
"Thanks," I smile. "Should we call the police?"  
"I would like to think that the police can handle this, but I don't think they will." Mum glowers at the man. "We'll let you off just this once. However, if we catch you doing it again, you'll wish you have never been born." I let go of the man, who runs off.

"I hope he's taken my threat seriously."  
"He should have," I agree.  
"Now, Emma, that was a good save. Let's get back to the hunt, yeah?" I nod, quietly, focusing my senses again.

During my hunt, I make sure to keep the ecosystem stable. If I need to hunt again any time soon, I'll go further out.

When we arrive back at Child's Torchwood, Emma asks if she can join Child's Torchwood. I agree, smiling. I offer her to stay in Cardiff to help run the base there, and she agrees. I show her how to use the weapons we have and start training her.

"Right, see you later," Rani agrees, smiling.  
"Who was that?" I ask her.  
"It turns out Dad can come here! The police found him, but he and a woman found with him were unable to remember who they are. They regained their memories and asking about us. I also told him about Child's Torchwood- you don't mind, do you?"  
"Of course not," I smile. "Who was the woman?"  
"Chrissie Jackson. I was about to let Maria know."

Haresh arrives at Child's Torchwood the next day; Rani and Gita go to meet him. When I meet him, I show him around, explaining what Child's Torchwood is trying to do. "This is incredible," Haresh breathes. "If it all goes right, then you could save many children." I nod, explaining that is the plan.


	15. Plans

"You know that place we found?" Maria asks. I nod. "We've brought it."  
"That's great," I grin. "We can get things sorted out there before we move. We might need a lot more staff in case we want to open a school there."

Haresh is in a state of shock, sitting in the central Hub. Gita and Rani sit beside him. I decide not to bother Rani right now about the new base. "Emma, what is it?" Rani asks.  
"We've brought the warehouse in London," I smile. "We're not confined to Cardiff now."  
"That's great," she smiles.

"There's another warehouse for sale in Edinburgh," Jack explains when I go to meet him. "I've already put an offer on it for you."  
"You have?" I ask, shocked. Jack nods, smiling.  
"Emma is going there, deciding to expand Child's Torchwood Edinburgh. Now, Maria, Clyde, Rani, you and Luke need to decide where you want to go."

When we meet in the conference room, I tell the team that we have three Hubs. I pull up pictures of the one in Edinburgh Jack brought. "Emma has agreed to go to Edinburgh if you're certain with your choice."  
"I'm sure," Emma agrees. "I'll carry on your work, make sure that you won't be disappointed."  
"As long as you try, I won't be disappointed," I promise. "Now, the rest of us have to decide where we want to go. I already talked with Luke, and we decided to go to the London base." Luke nods. Mum and Mummy smile.  
"London sounds cool!" Clyde exclaims. "If that's all right with you, Mum."  
"Of course it is!" Carla exclaims.  
"I like the idea of London, too," Rani exclaims. Maria nods. I smile.

When Chrissie arrives, Maria tells her that they are moving to London in the New Year. Chrissie greets me, speaking non-stop, and, after a few minutes, I find I need a time-out. How can Alan cope with this every day?

While I am in my room, I see a police box out of the corner of my eye with the Doctor watching me. I smile. It's been a month since we first met- and did it. She spots me and smiles. Slowly, she walks over to me, closing the door behind her. "You okay?" I look down at the object in my hand- a positive pregnancy test.

 _I feel tired lately, and I can't run anymore. Whenever I try to run, my head goes light, and I faint. Food causes me a problem, too- only if they smell overpowering. I need to know what's going on, so I talk to Owen. He was the one to suggest that I buy a pregnancy test, but he asked Tosh to get it on my behalf. I was nervous about using it, but I had to know the truth._

"Who else knows?" The Doctor asks, glancing down at my pregnancy test.  
"Only Owen and Tosh. Gosh, I'll have to tell my parents. I don't know what to do."  
"I'll be there at the birth, Emma, I promise. Or, if you decide to get rid of it, I will support you. However, I suggest you keep it, seeing as I speak from your future. These children become your- our- lives."  
"Children, as in plural?"  
"Oh, I did it again! I need to stop doing that!" I laugh. "I'll get baby stuff in as well."  
"Good idea," I agree. "I don't know how to handle babies."  
"You'll have to ask your parents."  
"Which means telling them everything."  
"They'll find out at some point. It will be better if it comes from you." I nod, thinking about it.

When the Doctor leaves with the promise of returning soon, I head off to find my parents to break the news to them. "PREGNANT?!" Jack explodes when he finds out. I had wanted to tell them alone, but Jack wanted to know what was wrong.  
"There's no need for that reaction, Jack," I snap. "And don't even think of ways to get rid of it, I've made my decision, and I'm keeping it."  
"Do you have any idea how much a baby costs?"  
"The Doctor has agreed to help. She said so herself. Besides, Child's Torchwood pays very well; I'll be able to buy some bits myself."  
"How long?" Mum asks, trying to defuse the argument.  
"A month," I reply. "It will be due in August."

When I tell my team, they all seem happy with my decision. "It's your decision," Clyde agrees. Luke is amazed that he will be an uncle.  
"The second Child's Torchwood generation," Rani grins. "It will be fantastic." I have noticed that she and Clyde have begun dating, they later told me that it's early days, and they didn't want anyone to know yet until they said. Maria nods, smiling.

The parents aren't so keen on the idea. Chrissie immediately opposed it. She argues that childbirth is the worst thing over- even though I say that I probably went through worse. Alan, Gita and Haresh had to have some persuasion until they agreed. Haresh asked me about school, and I answered that I never went to school before. Carla had agreed with us at once, saying that it's my choice.

That night, I feel exhausted. "Tiring day?" Mum asks. I nod, yawning. "Get some sleep, okay?" However, as soon as she's gone, I turn my light on again. The Doctor is back; she has parked her TARDIS in my room. The Doctor pops her head out, smiling as soon as she sees me.  
"Good day?"  
"Everyone knows now, but Jack wants me to terminate it."  
"I'll talk to him as soon as possible." She made good of her promise, as the next morning, Jack tells me that it's my choice on whether I want the baby or not, admitting that the Doctor visited him, pretty annoyed. I'm glad that she agreed to talk to him.


	16. The New Year

"It's a shame most of you won't be here now," Owen sighs. We are heading to London in a week. I nod, thinking about it. The Doctor promised that I would be at home when I give birth, even though Torchwood is the only home I know.

"Emma?" Rani asks. "Can I borrow you for a moment?"  
"Sure," I grin. I hurry out of the room, smiling. I stumble, feeling light-headed. I grab onto the railing for support, but I feel dizzy. I feel the ground rush up to meet me.

"No running," Owen exclaims. "You need to make sure that you are not caught up in any alien invasions."  
"That's not fair!" I exclaim. "I'll only be sitting on the side-lines!"

I sit down with my new team; Maria, Rani, Clyde and Luke. "What sort of things will we want in Child's Torchwood: London?" I ask. "We'll want to use the buildings we've got first before asking for planning development."  
"We can use the middle building as a base," Rani suggests. "It can be easily accessed in the event of an emergency. This building can be used to house the main members within Child's Torchwood: London that doesn't have anywhere to go back to, so that will help get children off the streets."  
"Great idea," Clyde agrees. I write that down at once, so we know what furniture we will need.

Even though I am with my friends and having a good time, there is an ache left in my heart. I feel lonely, despite people I care about surrounding me. I want to imagine a time where I can be happy, put myself there. Nothing comes up. I am alone.  
"You okay, Emma?" Clyde asks.  
"Yeah, fine," I agree.

"Are you sure?" Rani asks. "You zoned out."  
"Yeah, I'm ok." I try to remember what I was thinking about- a woman with jaw-length blonde hair with dark roots, hazel coloured eyes and wearing an outfit that would probably look ridiculous on anyone else but her. She was offering her hand to me, providing a lifetime of adventures that I can't have with anyone else — the Doctor.

That night, I am settling down for bed when I bring out my drawing pad to draw the woman I saw in my daydream.  
"Hey," the Doctor whispers. I turn, flipping a stronger light on, staring at her. I smile, finally feeling like I am no longer alone.  
The Doctor passes me a wallet with images with all of her regenerations in. "It's so you can recognise me," she explains. I nod, thinking about it. She doesn't consider one of them as the Doctor; she tells me that she thought that one blew up her home planet.

I glance down at the wallet once the Doctor is gone. Fourteen faces I might meet. I may as well document everything that happens.

The next morning, Jack walks in, smiling. "You okay?"  
"I saw the Doctor last night."  
"What was he like?" He sits down beside me.  
"She- it's her last regeneration, according to these photographs." I show him. Jack smiles.  
"We have these in the Torchwood Hub," He points to the second, fifth, seventh and fourteenth- thirteenth- incarnations. I smile. "I'll let you get dressed." Jack leaves the room as I pull on some clothes and run through.

"Wouldn't this create a paradox?" The fifth doctor asks.  
"We won't remember it afterwards," the second doctor exclaims. In his hand, he is holding a recorder. "I was hoping to play this for Emma."  
"Yes, I bet you were."  
"You never know, she might enjoy it."  
"Do you remember when our first incarnation met her? We didn't even know her!"  
"No, we didn't," the seventh doctor exclaims. "She knew who we were, but we didn't know her. The older one did."  
"Yes, that was my previous incarnation," the thirteenth doctor agrees. I decided to call her the thirteenth Doctor as she doesn't want to include the other regeneration she talked about last night.  
"It's a shame I didn't meet her in my previous incarnation."  
"She wouldn't have liked you- she'd probably have called you 'arrogant' and severed all contact with you."  
"Maybe. But Emma could have liked that incarnation."  
"No, she wouldn't."

As soon as the Fifth Doctor spots me, he smiles. "Hello, Emma."  
"How do you know my name?"  
"You met our first incarnation in your future. Since then, I thought to do a little research on you; I hope you don't mind."  
"Of course not." At least there is a familiar face within the room.  
"Has Jack ever let you out of here?" The Seventh Doctor asks.  
"No," I admit.  
"Tell me, Emma, have you ever been swimming?"  
"Never."  
"We can teach you if you like."  
"What else can we do?"

The second Doctor produces his recorder and begins playing. I smile as I listen to it. "He acts like a child sometimes," the Seventh Doctor exclaims.  
"That's sometimes a good thing," I smile. "Even adults have to remember that there's a child in them."  
"You're right, of course," he smiles.

"You two talking about me?" The Second Doctor asks.  
"Of course they are," the Fifth Doctor exclaims. "It's mostly all any of our companions can talk about."  
"Are you wearing a stick of celery?" I laugh.  
"Of course I am," he smiles. "It's always useful to carry a snack around with you, just in case."

I notice that the Doctor's thirteenth incarnation has left the Hub- to do what I don't know- leaving me with manifestations of the Doctor I don't feel so comfortable with. "You already miss her, don't you?" The Second Doctor asks. I shake my head, tears in my eyes. "That incarnation spoke about you a lot. I shouldn't say too much because it could affect your future."  
"What do you mean?" I ask.  
"We first had a fiery relationship with you- but we met you when you were about to turn eighteen! You called me Mr Grumpy Pants and grew angry with us very quickly." I smile, thinking about it. I'd better store it in my mind for future reference.  
"I remember meeting you in my third incarnation," the fifth Doctor agreed. "That was in 2007, then from 2009 to 2011. You loved learning anything and everything. You would document everything and put it onto Child's Torchwood so that all of the other children could learn about what you did. Then, when you fell ill in 2008, I met you in my fourth regeneration."  
"Are you giving her spoilers?" The thirteenth Doctor exclaims, walking back in.  
"I thought it wouldn't do her much harm to know the basics."  
"Don't tell her everything though."  
"I wasn't going to. Anyway- guess who I was travelling with at the time."  
"Who?" I ask, curious.  
"Your parents! You were shocked, but that's expected."  
"I never saw you in my sixth regeneration," the seventh Doctor shrugs.

"I can tell you the basics about the other incarnations that you met," the thirteenth Doctor exclaims.  
"Wouldn't that cause a paradox? I'm not meant to know this, am I?"  
"We're making a special exception for you. As long as you don't know exactly what happens, we should be fine. So, do you want to hear about it or not?" I nod, smiling. "In my eighth regeneration, I had a bit of a crush on you, but I thought you wouldn't return it, but it was the other way round in my tenth regeneration. In my other regeneration, I was a bit of a grandfather-like figure."  
"You, a grandfather?"  
"Hey, I was a grandfather at one point!"  
"She's right, you know," the Second Doctor agrees.  
"Oi, can you please let me carry on? I don't like it when people interrupt me." The other three doctors nod, allowing her to resume her story. "In my eleventh regeneration, I offered to be your boyfriend, but nothing came out of it. In my previous regeneration, I took you to Darrilium, a beautiful planet. I'll keep the reason why a secret for now. I can't tell you anything about this regeneration."  
"Have you only just regenerated?"  
"No! It's the fact that you're with me for all of this life so far."  
"How come?"  
"Now, I can't tell you, you know that."

When the Doctors leave, I feel that loneliness again. "Come on, Emma," Luke calls. "It's New Year's Eve!"

"Here's to a good new year," Gwen smiles, raising her glass.  
"And let's hope those aliens can bog off," Owen adds. We all snort. I can't exactly imagine life outside of Torchwood now; it's like the team have become my new family. I smile, thinking about all the times we saved each other. It has been fun.


	17. Captain Jack Harkness

Jack and Tosh are checking out an old dance hall that people are reporting strange music coming from. I ask if I can join them, and Jack agrees. Tosh is speaking in Japanese in the car, explaining to us that it's her grandfather's eighty-eighth birthday, a glorious year for the Japanese. After this, she'd be off to London to watch grown men throw rice.  
"You can get that in the Balti after stop tap," Jack points out. "Okay, down to business. What have we got?" We enter the Ritz Dance Hall.  
"It's been derelict since 1989," I explain. "However, someone's complaining about hearing music from the 1940s drifting out of the building," Jack tells both of us to be quiet as we hear music playing.  
"You two coming up?" We head upstairs into one of the ballrooms. "Wow. Look at the chandelier. No neon lights back then. Just dashing young soldiers and pretty young ladies." He takes Tosh into his arms, and they start dancing, "and as they danced, the girls' would look into their partners' eyes, smile softly and say…"  
"Jack! Mind my laptop!" As always, Tosh brings her laptop with us in case there is anything she needs to document, even though I pointed out that there is minimal charge left on it.  
"I was thinking more along the lines of, 'And how long before you head off to war?'" We head back down the stairs again, trying to analyse where the music is coming from, but we find nothing. "There's nothing here but memories and dust," Jack confirms as we head upstairs, only for the music to begin playing again. This time, we also hear people talking. When we reach the top of the stairs, we find that someone decorated the room. Bunting hangs from the walls, a live band is playing, and there must be near hundreds in the place, talking and laughing. Some of them are soldiers, on leave before they go off to war again. There are ladies here, too, dressed in clothes from the 1940s.

"They're not ghosts," Jack confirms as he uses a device on his wrist to scan the area. "It's a simple temporal shift. And it's beautiful!"  
"We should get out," I say, and we make our way outside.  
"Do call again," a man tells us, holding the door open.  
"I would love to," Jack smiles.

"It's night!" Tosh exclaims when she opens the door. We walk out of the building. "Where's the SUV? Has it been stolen?" Jack spots a poster at the same time I do.  
"No, we have!" I exclaim.

 _1941  
Kiss the Boys Goodbye Dance  
Saturday 20_ _th_ _January 1941  
7.30 pm  
At the Ritz_

Tosh tries calling the Hub, only to find the signal is dead. "Let's get back inside," Jack says. "That's where we were when we crossed."  
"We are in 1941," Tosh observes. "What if we can't get back?"  
"Flotsam and jetsam slip through all the time. We'll get back. Look on the bright side, gives you one hell of an excuse not to go to your party."  
"I have a life there, as does Emma. And they can't help us back in the Hub because I have the latest readings here." Everyone stares at us.  
"Don't raise your voice too much," I warn Tosh. "We need to try and blend in." We take our earpieces off.  
"Easy for you to say, I'm the only Asian here."  
"Don't worry; you're with the Captain."

When Jack orders some drinks for us, he realises that he doesn't have any money, when a young gentleman pay for them, although he wanted to dance with Tosh. Jack lets it go on for a little while before butting in as Tosh wants a way out. Before a proper fight breaks out between Jack and the man, another officer steps in, apologising, saying that the men are livelier tonight. The man who helped out follows Jack, as they introduce themselves. The man introduces himself as Captain Jack Harkness. Jack changes his name to James Harper. "Look this way, please," the person from the door says, holding up a camera.

As soon as the photograph is taken, a woman approaches me, who I immediately identify as the Doctor. "You okay, Emma?"  
"Yeah, you?"  
"I'm okay, thanks."  
"One more for the records, I insist," the man says, approaching us. We turn to the camera before the man takes a photograph. "Thank you, gentlemen." He moves on his way. I sigh. The Doctor and I walk out of the way so we can talk.

"I can get you, Jack and Tosh back in the TARDIS," she explains as we follow Jack and Tosh. Tosh is complaining that she doesn't know Jack and asks him why he shares the same name with the other Jack. Jack explains that he took his name, before changing the subject as to how we can get back.  
"I was talking to the Doctor; we can use her TARDIS."  
"Although, I left it in the future," she admits. I groan. There goes that idea. Jack asks what's on Tosh's computer.  
"I've got half of the equation here; the other half is back at the Hub. If I can find some way of getting the figures back to base, then they can combine them and open the rift, bringing us back through."  
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?"  
"It's the only choice we've got," I sigh. "We should try and do all we can."

We hurry into an office before Tosh opens her computer, struggling to get the rest of the equation down, with the Doctor reading out anything Tosh can't read as a message pops up saying that the computer is low in charge and needs to be plugged in. As we are talking about how to get back, the manager walks in.  
"What are you doing in here?" Tosh closes her laptop. "Who are you?"  
"Captain James Harper." Jack shakes his hand. "And this is Toshiko Sato, a friend and mathematician."  
"What about the other two?"  
"I'm Diane Hope," the Doctor introduces herself with a fake name. "This is my… daughter, Emma Smith-White. Her father was killed in the battle of Dunkirk."  
"I'm sorry to hear that," he nods. "I'm Bilis, the manager. You're not in full uniform, Captain."  
"On leave, 48 hours."  
"That's an interesting camera," Tosh notes.  
"It takes photographs instantly," Bilis agrees.  
"I didn't know they could do that yet."  
"And I didn't know they made an attache case out of metal." The clock begins to chime. "Where did you get it?"  
"London. I'm from there."  
"I should go back, dear. They're coming for us now." We leave his office.

Tosh begins to worry about different events during the war, including Pearl Harbour. Jack confirms that it doesn't happen until the end of the year. Jack and the Doctor promise to take care of her. "Jack, this period, you look like you fit in. Have you been here before?"  
"Yeah. I can't explain, but I served in the war in 1941. I was undercover. I needed a false identity, so I took his name."  
"And used it ever since," the Doctor agrees. "I think he would be proud of you."

The Doctor sits me down so we can talk. "It's going to be interesting to see the Torchwood Hub. I never got the chance to see it."  
"I think you'll like it."  
"Can you show me Child's Torchwood when we get back?"  
"Sure!" I smile. The Doctor places a hand on my stomach. "You won't feel anything yet. It's only the second month- or the beginning of it, anyway."  
"You've got mood swings to look forward to."  
"Oh, great," I snap.

A few minutes later, the air raid sirens wail, and everyone heads into the cellar underneath the dance hall. We can hear the bombs fall nearby as Jack guides Tosh to where we are. At least we are together. Tosh heads back upstairs so she can record a message for the rest of the team. The siren begins wailing again as Bilis turns the lights on, saying that the dancing should continue. As everyone heads upstairs, Tosh reappears, having cut her hand so she could write the rest of the equation in blood. One of the officers offers to bandage it up for her, and Tosh agrees. The Doctor leads me out of the cellar.

"When we last met, I told you that I couldn't say too much about this regeneration," she explains. "It was a few minutes ago for me, a day or so for you. When I reach this body, you are with me nearly all of the time, so, when you decided to go home for a few weeks, I decided to use that time, so I can watch you grow up. We'll meet up more in the future, I promise." She strokes my cheek. I smile up at her. "Everything will be all right."  
"You don't need to make that sort of promise to me, Doctor."  
"You'll want to watch your mood, though, despite them being a sign that the baby is growing well."

Another song begins playing, a slow, waltz-type song. I check my watch. "Nearly midnight in this time, midday in the time I come from." The Doctor smiles.  
"Midnight's meant to be a romantic time."  
"You think?"  
"I don't know- I'm not the romantic sort of person." She's trying to work out what I am thinking. Captain Jack Harkness (the real one) pulls my leader into a dance.  
"Are you trying to work out why I'm important to you?"  
"Not at all, I already know that." She offers me her hand. I take it, and she leads me onto the dancefloor as we begin waltzing. Or, more like she is as my legs aren't touching the ground. "I know why you're important to me, Emma." The Rift opens. "Come on, let's go!"  
"Jack!" Tosh cries, picking her bag up. The Doctor runs over to the blue light, with me still in her arms. "Jack, we need to get out! Jack, you have to!"  
"Jack, we need you!" I exclaim.  
"I have to go," my leader says. "It's my duty." He is about to leave when he kisses the other Jack Harkness. My leader walks over to us, and we step into the blue light, back into our own time.

Gwen is waiting for us. She jumps out of her car and hugs Jack. "There, see?" The Doctor smiles. "All back to normal- or as normal as it will be for you guys."  
"Thank you for being there for me, Doctor," I smile.  
"Well, I'd better be off- I've got plenty of your life to see. I've got to get up to when you turn sixteen. You travel with me two years later." The Doctor leaves in her TARDIS as the rest of us head back to the Hub.


	18. End of Days

The next morning, Clyde has the news on. "How was your time in 1941?" Mum asks me.  
"It was lovely to see all of the clothes and history happening right in front of you. It's rare something like that happens." Clyde rings the bell that connects to every Child's Torchwood; it will echo out in every Hub. I growl in annoyance.  
"Oi, you lot!" Clyde yells. "Turn the news on!" We all gather around the TV as Clyde plays the news.

"There's speculation that the incidents overnight may be linked," the news reporter tells us. "Initial reports suggest a terrorist involvement, but this morning some intelligence experts have claimed the incidents may be a stunt. The first sightings were of UFOs over the Taj Mahal in India. They came in just after midnight. In London this morning, there were reports of men in historical dress firing upon the police. Some religious groups are claiming events overnight are an explanation of their teachings."

"Could it be terrorists?" Maria asks, worried.  
"It doesn't seem so," Rani says. "Terrorists usually bomb things, not send UFOs over the most iconic sight in India."  
"Rani's right," Luke agrees. "The report says that the UFOs came in soon after midnight, meaning that something happened yesterday to cause this chain of events." Rani pulls out a notebook.  
"I'll start researching any sites I can get into, find out if anything could have led to this."  
"There's no need," I answer, opening the rift monitor. "It's us."  
"Emma, what are you talking about?" I show everyone what is happening- all of the events are linked to the rift.  
"We need to sort this out, team up with Torchwood."

"We need to search for anything we can that alludes to the world ending, ancient texts, whatever we can. We need to know what we could be up against in case the rift opens too far," Clyde suggests. I hand out laptops and tablets as we all begin researching. Jack calls us, asking to investigate into whatever we can about what is going on and how we can sort it.

I research into who Jack is, but nothing comes up. We all begin to talk. "Who is he?" Rani asks.  
"There's no record of him," I reply when Owen, Ianto, Tosh and Gwen walk through. "What's happened?"  
"Jack's fired me!" Owen exclaims.  
"Trust him to do that when it looks like the world could end!" Luke exclaims. I roll my eyes.  
"He's fired the rest of us because we didn't believe we should follow his orders," Ianto adds. "We don't even know if we can trust him now. He doesn't exist."  
"So, what do we do?" Tosh asks. Everyone turns to me.  
"What are you all looking at me for?"  
"You've got the most experience," Ianto points out.  
"I'm a kid!"  
"That still didn't stop you any of those times," Owen points out. Diane wanders through and smiles.  
"I've been flying around, seeing if there's anything I could do in the sky. Everything is tracing back to Cardiff, and the rift is overreacting. I don't think there's too much more I can do."  
"You're good with aeroplanes, so we need someone like you who can carry children if they need to travel to different countries. We'll need to establish the London base as a safe zone for all children to come as it is the biggest base so far."

"We're having visions of people begging us to open the rift," Tosh whispers. "Should we do it?" Once again, everyone turns to me.  
"I don't know what to do," I whisper. "I'm not the one in charge here; I still have to do what Jack says."  
"Since when do you have to listen to him?" Ianto demands. "Wake up, Emma! How many people have to suffer because we fail to do something?"

"Let's do it!"  
"You mean it?" Owen exclaims.  
"We're opening the rift. But first, we all need a minute or so to decide if we want to do this. Everyone find a quiet space so we can think over the pros and cons." Everyone nods, and we head off in different directions.

In my room, I notice Bilis is there. "What are you doing here?" I ask. "This is my room, can you please leave?" Bilis approaches me, and I move away from the door. The Doctor is standing in the doorway, asking me what is going on. Bilis turns to her, stabbing her. The Doctor gasps, falling to the floor before Bilis disappears.

The Doctor stands up, smiling. "Hey, Emma, I'm okay," she smiles when I hug her.  
"We have to move!" Jack yells, and we all begin running outside.

When we are outside the Child's Torchwood Hub, we meet Bilis again. He is talking about something imprisoned beneath the rift, before saying its name- Abaddon. "The whole world shall die beneath his shadow."  
"We need to stop this!" Clyde exclaims. "What should we do?"  
"Jack!" I demand. "What should we do?" We all turn to Jack. Abaddon moves away from us, heading towards the city. People are lying dead on the streets; all life sucked out of them.  
"Gwen, just you, get me to an open space." Gwen takes the Torchwood car and drives Jack away.

"Now what, do we run?" Owen asks. "Where do we go?" When we hear from Gwen a few minutes later, she tells us that Jack is dead. We put him in the morgue, all thinking that he can still come back. Nothing happens. Gwen says that she wants to sit with him, so we all move away.

"Do you think we should still move after what happened?" Maria asks, gently. All of the children turn to me.  
"Jack wouldn't want us to back out of it," I whisper. "We should start getting our belongings packed up. I'll talk to Emma and Diane on how they can recruit more members." The others nod as they start packing up.

"Emma, Diane, can I please talk to you in my office?" I hand the keys over to Emma.  
"You sure about this?" She asks.  
"I'm positive that the two of you can make a positive difference here," I smile. "You will have close contact with us."  
"Would you want me to make a uniform for Child's Torchwood?"  
"If you wouldn't mind," I agree. "However, we might also need you to make clothes that children can wear every day."  
"We could try setting up a school," Diane suggests.  
"But where will we get the teachers from?"  
"Good point. Diane, do you think you can go to the base in Edinburgh and find children you can recruit?"  
"Sure."

A few days later, Jack comes back. We are packing up in the Child's Torchwood Hub when he walks in, quite alive. Immediately, I run over and hug him- or I try to before fainting. Jack grabs me, pulling me into a hug. "You all okay, kids?"  
"We were just packing up so we can head off to London."  
"Good idea," Jack agrees, nodding.

"I've left Emma in charge," I tell him.  
"That's great; she can lead others when she needs to."  
"Diane suggested setting up a school for the members of Child's Torchwood, but I don't know where we can get the teachers from."  
"When you employ more people into each Child's Torchwood, they can choose different jobs and begin setting up schools, hospitals, that sort of thing. If you employ many children, then you can achieve this very quickly. Make sure to employ children that are older and younger than you."  
"I will," I agree, smiling.


	19. Author's note- please read

Hello, fellow readers.

I am so glad that you have decided to stick to the end of my fanfiction, and I appreciate it.

This fanfiction (for Emma, at least) started in 2002 and concluded in early 2007. Series 2 will begin on Bannerman Road in August 2007.

I am running a poll on my writer's page on whether you want short stories from the Emmaverse (as I am calling it now) from different characters or whether you will want it to stick with only Emma. I am also hoping to upload Series 2 of the Emma Smith Adventures soon.

Thanks for reading!

CeriseHood5050


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